Alpha Papillomaviruses induce persistent epithelial lesions and are associated with the development of cervical cancer. The aims of this project are to determine the mechanism of extrachromosomal replication and partitioning of the viral genome. [unreadable] [unreadable] -We have characterized genomic regions of several alpha papillomaviruses that are important for extrachromosomal DNA replication.[unreadable] [unreadable] -We have established and optimized a very sensitive DNA replication assay in primary human keratinocytes, the natural host of the virus. [unreadable] [unreadable] -We have established growth conditions for primary human keratinocytes that allow for analysis of long-term persistent viral DNA replication